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JUL-AUG 2017

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Courtesy Visit Dorchester, by Jill Jasuta
selecttraveler.com 21
Hills," explores the story of the
Cherokees with music, lights,
costumes and elaborate staging.
CENTRAL:
THE CITY SCENE
e largest cities in North
Carolina can be found in its cen-
tral region, sandwiched between
the mountains and the coast.
With numerous high-profile uni-
versities and high-tech indus-
tries, these destinations enjoy a
sophisticated attitude that up-
scale travelers will appreciate.
In addition to being one of the
financial centers of the South,
Charlotte is home to some of the
state's most notable museums.
NASCAR got its start in North
Carolina, and today, the NAS-
CAR Hall of Fame in Charlotte
gives visitors a detailed look at
one of the most beloved sports
in the country. Visitors see nu-
merous historic race cars and
hear stories of the teams that
raced them to victory.
Another popular attraction
for groups, the Billy Graham Li-
brary, tells the life story of Amer-
ica's most famous preacher. Visi-
tors learn about Billy Graham's
childhood and family life, his
early years in ministry and the
series of evangelistic crusades
for which he became famous.
Along the way, exhibits display
artifacts from his career and
many of the gifts he has received
from dignitaries worldwide.
e theme continues in
Winston-Salem, a city about 80
miles northeast of Charlotte,
where historic structures have
been repurposed as museums.
e Reynolda House Museum of
American Art, once the home of
local tobacco barons, now houses
one of the South's preeminent
collections of American art, with
pieces dating to 1755.
Also in Winston-Salem is the
Southeastern Center for Con-
temporary Art, which is housed
in a 1929 English Tudor home.
It features contemporary works
by regional and national artists.
COAST: BEACHES
AND HISTORY
Coastal North Carolina at-
tracts plenty of beachgoers, but
Cape Hatteras in the Outer Banks
there is more to this destination
than sun and sand. Groups that
visit the area can enjoy the ocean
views while also learning about
the region's distinctive history.
On the northeastern edge of
the state, North Carolina's Out-
er Banks is a 200-mile stretch of
barrier islands in the Atlantic
Ocean, and the area has a story
to tell about some of America's
first settlers.
In 1585, Sir Walter Raleigh
and a group of settlers arrived on
Roanoke Island and established
the first English settlement in the
New World. e 166 settlers later
disappeared, earning Roanoke Is-
land the name "the Lost Colony."
At Fort Raleigh National Historic
Site, groups can see where these
early settlers lived. e site also
has information and program-
ming that details the roles Native
Americans, European settlers and
African slaves played in the area
until the Civil War.
For more of the story, many
groups attend a performance of
"e Lost Colony." e production is
the longest-running outdoor drama
in the United States and recounts
the events leading up to the disap-
pearance of the Roanoke colony.
Wilmington, a town near the
Atlantic Coast, is famous for its
historical charm. At the heart of
this is the 230-block National
Register Historic District, which
features hundreds of beautiful
historic homes.
Many of the homes in the
district are still private resi-
dences, but some of the most
impressive mansions in town
serve as house museums. One
of the oldest, the Burgwin-
Wright Museum House, was
built around 1770 and features
classic Colonial architecture and
period lifestyle demonstrations.
Wilmington also has a pair of
mansions from the middle of the
19th century: e Latimer House
Museum was built in 1852 and
features Victorian period furnish-
ings and artwork. Another ante-
bellum home, built in 1859, serves
as the Bellamy Mansion Museum
of History and Design Arts.
Courtesy Biltmore Estate
Courtesy Outer Banks VB
Courtesy NASCAR HoF Courtesy Wilmington & The Beaches CVB
NASCAR Hall of Fame A Wilmington boardwalk